I am a new Wrington resident and have been working in fashion for the last15 years. I moved to Bristol in 1985 to study a Fashion and Textiles Degreeand it was there, doing the same course, that I met my partner David.

For the first few years we had a freezing workshop in a section of an oldpaper bag factory. Here we slaved over machines creating Womenswearcollections. We'd traipse around the country on public transport, luggingbags full of clothes to sell to classy Boutiques. I'm sure that many of thebuyers thought us completely mad turning up on foot, having walked from thenearest station. However our clothes spoke for themselves and we graduallystarted to build the business. We moved to a workshop which had heating!!and began selling abroad in Germany and Japan.

Things were good for a while, then a combination of recession and the lackof a strong manufacturing base meant things took a dive. We moved ourworkshop into the bedroom of our rented flat and had a rethink.

The new plan was to retail. Cutting out the middle man and selling direct tothe public meant that the quantities we needed to produce were less, but theprofit was more. We found a suitable outlet that we could afford in acovered market in Clifton Village. We struggled for a year, when anopportunity to share a shop in a more central position presented itself. Wewent for it and business began to pick up. Another year passed and we movedagain. This time to Park Street, Bristol into a large shop divided intosmaller individual units.

And now, seven or so years later we are still there. Our workshop hasremained in our home, but our homes have got bigger to accommodate itproperly. We have had a little boy, now a year old, and have moved toWrington for a better quality of life. We only work occasionally in theshop, and instead we are based at home sharing the care of Joe. We produceless of our own designs and buy more in since Joe arrived, but still havethe machinery and skills.

It is for this reason that I'm offering the dress-making and alterationservice. I am not a Tailor and I don't have the time to do Made to Measure,but any thing else I will consider - from shortening jeans and replacingzips to party costumes or re-making a favourite garment.